Monday, March 15, 2010

Challenge No. 5 & Candy - Winners


So, thanks to all of you who entered the 'Paper Piecing' challenge and the candy giveaway.  We didn't quite get to 300 followers in the week but we're nearly there.  I've put the figures into Random.org and here are the results.

For the 5 digi images from The Stamping Boutique the winner is...

Congratulations to Jana M, please email me your choices on cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk and I will pass them on to Tracey.

For the Phindy's Place digi stamp the winner is ...

Congratulations Debb, please email me on cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk and I will reply with your download.

I'd like to give a big thankyou again to our Sponsors for the last challenge, The Stamping Boutique.  Please take time to visit them.

All we have left now is to announce our top 3.  These were, in no particular order




Congratulations.  Grab the 'Top3' blinkie from the sidebar and display it with pride on your blogs.



Counting Blessings

I love the hymn that the title of this post is inspired by ~ Count Your Blessings..."name them one by one!"

Did this godly hymn writer keep a journal of thanks? There must be many who have done so in the past ~ what a legacy to leave behind...your thankfulness journal! Have you begun? It really is powerful and encouraging ~ it might just "surprise you what the Lord has done"!

319. Two youngest playing a duet on the piano ~ warms my heart! :)


320. Flowers lovingly picked for me ~ first of the season!


321. And then I find that another has been secretly added ~ how sweet! (Thanks Calvin!)


322. Fun in a restaurant ~ for both of us! :)




323. The last of the hot chocolate...




324. And children to enjoy drinking it!




325. Front door welcome ~ a long ago yard sale find.




326. The sound of music ~ brings joy to my heart.




327. Quiet "together" moments...




328. Blonde hair to braid...




329. A treat from a dear friend...




Many Blessings,
Camille

Challenge No.6

Wow, the fortnight's are just whizzing by, don't you think.  It seems that Paper Piecing was not so popular?  That's a shame, maybe if we can put together our own step-by step instructions specifically using digi images, would that help?  I enjoyed it and would definitely do it again and the entries we had were all wonderful.

I'll be announcing the winner together with our top three and the candy winner later on today.  In the meantime, I'd like to say a big thankyou once again to our sponsors, The Stamping Boutique.

Now onto this challenge.  We have a wonderful sponsor this week, which is

The theme of our challenge is simply 'Happy Birthday' and the prize from Praire Fairy is your choice of 3 digi stamps.  Here's what Roberta had to say about herself and Praire Fairy, when we asked....


Hello! I am Roberta from Prairie Fairy Designs. I am a new digital stamp company featuring artwork not only created by me but also my two kids, ages 8 and 11. They are featured on the site as the Fairy Princess and the Prairie Prince.

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember and have always loved to create.  Two years ago my sister-in-law invited me to a rubber stamp party. I laughed and said "Maybe I will buy something if I can use it to stamp on canvases.". Needless to say, I was hooked! Two years later and a lot of learning about computers, I have finally accomplished my goal. 

While digital stamping is relatively new in the papercrafting scene, it is what I believe to be such an amazing tool. Printed images have such clarity and vibrancy and gone is the need to re stamp an image because you didn't press hard enough or maybe you pressed too hard! They are also a lot easier to store and they can be reprinted over and over again. The fact that you can rotate and flip files, print them off the size of a postage stamp or as large as a scrapbook page makes them such a versatile medium. It is my sincere hope that I can help anyone who has hesitations about using digital images to embrace these amazing creative tools. If you have any questions about going digital, check out the site and the blog for more information. So head on over to http://www.prairiefairydesigns.com/ and check it out!

Here are some ideas to inspire you...














So there you have them, our wonderful DT efforts.  The challenge is open until midnight GMT on the 28th March 2010 and the rules are

1. The card must be for a man/boy.
2. You need to follow the theme/sketch that is set.

3. It must be a new card.

Leave your name and a direct link to your entry (not just to your blog) in Mr Linky below.  If Mr Linky is not there for some reason then leave the details in the comments and I'll add you in when I'm doing the draw.



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Welcome Spring!

Waiting.

Patiently (and sometimes impatiently) ~ Waiting.

Welcome Spring!

**Our cherry blossom tree ~ Spring 2010**

Tanya's Turkey (or Chicken) Soup



This soup is super easy to make and yummy to eat!
It's hearty and satisfying.
The first time I ever had it the turkey wasn't even in it...and it was still good!
So good, in fact, that I requested the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Turkey (or Chicken) Soup

18 cups stock ~ you can make your own or use bouillon cubes
4 tsp salt ~ omit if using bouillon cubes and adjust to taste at the end of cooking time
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
28 oz tin diced tomatoes
¼ cup pearl barley
¼ cup brown lentils
2 Tbsp rice (I use brown)
¼ cup parsley flakes (or use 1 bunch fresh, chopped)
3 cups chopped turkey (or chicken)
1 cup soup noodles ~ I use small shell pasta

Method:

Put all ingredients into large pot (except the soup noodles) and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for two to three hours, stirring occasionally ~
Add soup noodles for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

250 Followers!!!

Hey, we've reached 250 followers this week.  I'm so pleased that I thought I'd offer up a little candy and see if we can get it up to 300, lol.

I inadvertently bought two of the same digi image from Phindy's Place (I'm sure I'm not the only one to have done that!) so am offering the second as a small candy.  I checked with the owner and she said it was fine.



Isn't he great.  The image is called 'Big Boots to Fill' and I love it.

So to be in with a chance of winning your own copy of this image leave your details with Mr Linky.  If you'd like to add yourself to our followers that would be great.  I'll close the draw Sunday 14th March at midnight GMT and announce the winner on Monday 15th March.  Don't forget we have a great challenge going on at the moment with the offer of 5 digi images from the sponsor 'The Stamping Boutique'.  Please have a go as we love to see your creations.


Monday, March 8, 2010

Little Mummy ~ Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma loves her babies.

Dressed in layers and layers of dress-up clothes...she is Mummy. Tenderly she cares for and nurtures her dollies. I tell her she is going to be the best Mummy in the whole world!

She says she will not be a better Mummy than me, but I tell her I'm sure that she will! Oh that the Lord would have her heart young and she would grow up to serve Him well.

Much better than me.








Just a little picture to demonstrate the layering involved here ~
it really is quite something! :)

Dearest Emma ~
As you turn eight years old, we pray that the Lord Jesus would have your heart and that you would be first and foremost HIS. Follow Him with all your heart and serve Him all your days and you will bring the greatest joy to your Daddy and Mummy!


Happy Birthday!


Lots of Love,
Daddy and Mummy
xoxo